Vitamin A is actually the collective name for a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A has many essential functions, including helping with the formation of visual pigments (i.e. eyesight), assisting with immune function and wound healing, helping with embryonic development, and more. Vitamin A is perhaps best associated with red and orange vegetables like carrots and red peppers. But it can also be found in green leafy vegetables, eggs, and dairy products.
Vitamin A is the collective name for a group of fat-soluble vitamins. The most usable form is retinol. The carotenoids are precursors to vitamin A and are converted only when necessary.
Vitamin A has many functions in the body including:
Vitamin A can be found in several foods including:
Common symptoms and resulting conditions of vitamin A deficiency include:
However, your individual response could be different. If you suspect a health problem or deficiency in certain nutrients, please see your primary health care provider (doctor, naturopath, etc). They can help unravel the complexity of your physiology.
Common symptoms of vitamin A excess/toxicity include:
However, your individual response could be different. If you suspect a health problem or an excess of certain nutrients, please see your primary health care provider (doctor, naturopath, etc). They can help unravel the complexity of your physiology.
Note: Hypervitaminosis is caused by consuming excessive amounts of preformed vitamin A (retinal palmitate), not the plant carotenoids. Preformed vitamin A is absorbed rapidly but only cleared slowly from the body.
For recipes rich in vitamin A, check out any of the Encyclopedia of Food entries for food items listed above.
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Vitamin A is actually the collective name for a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A has many essential functions, including helping with the formation of visual pigments (i.e. eyesight), assisting with immune function and wound healing, helping with embryonic development, and more. Vitamin A is perhaps best associated with red and orange vegetables like carrots and red peppers. But it can also be found in green leafy vegetables, eggs, and dairy products.